Patent Document 1, for example, describes a conventional sunroof device. The sunroof device disclosed in this publication includes two guide rails, a movable panel, and two pivot arms. At least parts of guide rails are curved in correspondence with the design of the roof of the vehicle and extend non-parallel to each other. The pivot arms extend along opposite side edges of the movable panel. The rear end of each pivot arm is coupled to the movable panel in a manner pivotal about the axis extending in the height direction of the vehicle. A guide portion is secured to the movable panel. The front end of each pivot arm is coupled to the guide portion to be movable in the width direction of the vehicle. The sunroof device also includes bent members, each of which has a front end in which a guide shoe is arranged. The guide shoes are attached to the pivot arms to be movable along the guide rails.
The guide shoes of the bent members move along the guide rails, thus moving the pivot arms. This moves the movable panel to selectively open and close the opening in the roof. At this time, the guide shoes of the bent members are displaced in the vehicle width direction in correspondence with the shapes of the guide rails. At the same time, the pivot arms pivot about the axes while moving the front ends of the pivot arms along the guide portion in the vehicle width direction. This absorbs the displacement of the guide shoes in the vehicle width direction.
As has been described, as described in Patent Document 1, the front ends of the pivot arms are movable along the guide portion of the movable panel in the vehicle width direction. The movable panel may, for example, receive external force in the vehicle width direction during its opening or closing action. In this case, the movable panel is likely to be displaced in the vehicle width direction. That is, the maintenance of the center of the movable panel in the vehicle width direction is likely to be hampered.